Leg protector

ABSTRACT

A leg protector sized to fold over the wearer&#39;s leg to cover the front side of the wearer&#39;s leg while leaving the backside of the wearer&#39;s leg exposed for easily placement and removal of the leg protector. Unlike conventional gaiters and half chaps that effectively operate as a second pant leg positioned over the pants, the adjustable strap of the insulated leg protector extends across the rear side of the wearer&#39;s leg to retain the leg protector without fully covering the backside of the wearer&#39;s leg. The arrangement allows the leg protector to be quickly put on by the wearer by draping the leg protector over the wearer&#39;s leg and secured with the adjustable strap. Similarly, the leg protector can also be removed by simply undoing the adjustable strap.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/775,139 filed Mar. 8, 2013, which is incorporatedherein in its entirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally directed to riding clothing foroperators of vehicles that are exposed and not enclosed within a vehiclecab. Specifically, the present invention is directed to a leg protectorthat is strategically positioned to cover forward facing portions of awearer's leg while being easily removed from the wearer's leg.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Certain transportation devices including self-propelled bicycles ormotorized vehicles such as motorcycles, mopeds, scooters, snowmobiles,and all-terrain vehicles are “open type” vehicles in which the rider isexposed to the elements and wind from the moving vehicle. Depending upontemperature and speed of operation, the lack of wind protection oftenrequires that the rider wear specialized riding clothing designed toprevent chilling of the rider from the wind generated by the movingvehicle. The riding clothing often serves additional purposes such as,for example, protecting the rider from exposure to precipitation orproviding a safety layer to the rider from contact with debris or evenin the event of an accident. While riding clothing offers a number ofadvantages, there are a number of inconveniences presented by currentriding clothing that can cause riders to avoid using such clothing fortrips having a short duration such as running errands or short commutesto work and the like.

One disadvantage associated with currently available riding clothinginvolves the materials and methods used in constructing rider clothing.Generally, conventional riding clothing is constructed of leather ortightly woven synthetic material that typically cannot be significantlystretched, and therefore restricts the wearer's movements. In addition,riding clothing is often form fitting to reduce air resistance createdby the clothing. The tight fit of the riding clothing combined with therelatively inflexible material used in riding clothing can significantlylimit the wearer's freedom of movement.

Another drawback of presently available riding clothing is thedifficulty associated with putting on and taking off riding clothing.One of the advantages associated with using open type vehicles is thatthey are often substantially more fuel efficient than cars, trucks orother closed cab vehicles. However, the simple act of putting on andremoving tight fitting riding clothing can frustrate a rider if theymust change between riding clothing and work/recreational clothing atleast twice a day for work commutes or even more often when runningerrands around the home. Not only can putting on and taking off ridingclothing be time consuming, many open-type vehicles have very limited orno storage space for riding clothing.

In light of the advantages and increase usage of open-type vehicles, itwould be advantageous to have improved riding clothes that overcome thedeficiencies associated with presently available riding clothes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a leg protector having a flexiblebody including a knee portion, a shaped shin protector and at least oneadjustable strap. The leg protector can further comprise a thigh portionincluding its own adjustable strap. The leg protector is sized to foldover the wearer's leg to cover the front side of the wearer's leg whileleaving the backside of the wearer's leg exposed. Unlike conventionalgaiters and half chaps that effectively operate as a second pant legpositioned over the pants, the adjustable strap of the insulated legprotector extends across the rear side of the wearer's leg to retain theleg protector without fully covering the backside of the wearer's leg.The arrangement allows the leg protector to be quickly put on by thewearer by draping the leg protector over the wearer's leg and securedwith the adjustable strap. Similarly, the leg protector can also beremoved by simply undoing the adjustable strap. The leg protector caninclude a liner or padding to provide to insulate the wearer's leg in acold environment. In some embodiments, the leg protector can include oneor more pockets for storing items such as, for example, money, driver'slicense, credit cards, notes and the like. In some embodiment, the oneor more pockets could include a transparent portion, thereby allowing alight or reflector to be placed into the pocket to increase visibilityof wearer at night. The leg protector can be rollable into a storagedisposition, wherein the adjustable strap retains the leg protector in arolled state for storage.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, the knee portion cancomprise a cup-shape sized to cover the front, top and sides of thewearer's knee when the wearer is in a seated position. For the purposesof this disclosure, a seated position describes a seated rider in whichthe rider's thigh is generally positioned at a ninety degree anglerelative to the rider's calf, wherein the rider's knee is generallypointed toward the front of the vehicle. Similarly, the shin portion canextend from the knee portion to the wearer's footwear and comprise anelongated planar shape folded form a u-shaped cross-section forreceiving the wearer's shin to cover the front and sides of the wearer'sshin when the wearer is in a seated portion.

In certain embodiments, the bottom end of the shin portion can be flaredto overlap with the wearer's footwear. Collectively, the knee portionand the shin portion substantially cover the front portion of wearer'sleg from the knee to the foot to protect the portions of the wearer'sleg that faces forward when the wearer is seated. As the thigh portionof the wearer's leg is substantially horizontal when the wearer isseated, the leg protector does not cover the wearer's thigh as thatportion of the wearer's leg is generally not aligned with the path ofthe wind travelling past the wearer's leg as the vehicle is movingforward. The strategic portions of the wearer's leg protected by the legprotector minimizes the amount of material used to protect the mostexposed portions of the wearer's leg, thereby allowing the leg protectorto be efficiently stored when not in use. In addition, the knee portionand the shin portion cooperated to provide increased flexibility andmobility to the wearer as compared to currently available chaps andgaiters.

In certain embodiments, the leg protector can further comprise an outerenvironmental or wind deflecting layer and an inner comfort orinsulating layer. The outer wind deflecting layer can comprise leather,synthetic leather, synthetic woven material, soft shell material orother conventional material capable of preventing wind from penetratingthrough the wind deflecting layer. Similarly, the inner layer cancomprise can comprise fleece, non-woven material, woven material,THINSULATE or other insulating material. In certain embodiments, thedeflecting layer and the insulating layer can comprise flexiblematerials allowing the leg protector to be tightly rolled to allow theleg protector to be more efficiently stored. The leg protector caninclude one or more pockets for the storage of small items when the legprotector is worn. In some embodiments, the inner insulating layer canbe removable such that the insulating effect is minimized whentemperatures are highest, for example, during summer months and when theinsulating effect is not desired.

A leg protector, according to an embodiment of the present invention,can comprise a knee portion, a shin portion and at least one adjustablestrap. The knee portion can comprise a cup-shape shaped to receive andcover the front, top and sides of a wearer's knee when the wearer's kneeis positioned in a seated position. In certain embodiments, the kneeportion can be articulated to allow the wearer to flex their knee andstand unimpeded while still wearing the leg protector. The shin portionextends from the knee portion and can comprise an elongated planar shapefolded form a U-shaped cross-section to receive and cover the front andsides of the wearer's shin. The adjustable strap can affixed to one edgeof the shin portion and pulled behind the wearer's calf to secure theshin portion and the leg protector as a whole to the wearer's leg.

In certain embodiments, the leg protector can further comprise a thighportion having a thigh strap. The thigh portion extends from the kneeportion and is positioned opposite the shin portion. In operation, thethigh strap can be affixed to one side of the thigh portion and pulledbeneath the wearer's thigh and affixed to the opposite side of the thighportion to secure the thigh portion to the wearer's thigh. The thighportion cooperates with the adjustable strap to provide a point ofengagement for the leg protector above and below the knee.

In other aspects of the invention, representative embodiments of a legprotector can include materials suited for specific outdoor or physicalactivities. For example, an outer environmental layer can have opticalproperties to promote viewing such as, for example, in low light or hightraffic conditions, or alternatively to limit viewing such as, forexample, camouflage in hunting, law enforcement or military conditions.The outer environmental layer can made of various materials suited forthese conditions such as, for example, puncture, tear or bite resistantmaterials for use in law enforcement, military or field conditions.

The above summary of the various representative embodiments of theinvention is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment orevery implementation of the invention. Rather, the embodiments arechosen and described so that others skilled in the art can appreciateand understand the principles and practices of the invention. Thefigures in the detailed description that follow more particularlyexemplify these embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be completely understood in consideration of thefollowing detailed description of various embodiments of the inventionin connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a leg protector according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the leg protector depicted in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the leg protector depicted in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the leg protector depicted in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the leg protector depicted in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a left side view of the leg protector depicted in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a right side view of the leg protector depicted in FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a leg protector according to anembodiment of the present invention, wherein the leg protector is beingworn by a wearer in a seated position.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the leg protector depicted in FIG. 1rolled into a storage disposition.

FIG. 10 is a front view of a leg protector according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternativeforms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in thedrawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood,however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to theparticular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is tocover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As depicted in FIGS. 1-7, a leg protector 10, according to an embodimentof the present invention can comprise a flexible body 11 having a kneeportion 12, a shin portion 14 and at least one adjustable strap 16. Theknee portion 12 further comprises a plurality of articulation segments18 such that the knee portion 12 can be folded into a cup shape asdepicted in FIGS. 2 and 6-7. In some embodiments, knee portion 12 canfurther include a rigid cap, for example, a plastic cap to provideadditional protection to the wearer. The shin portion 14 can furthercomprise a center segment 20 and two side segments 22 positioned oneither side of the center segment 20. The side segments 22 can be foldedrelatively to the center segment 20 to form the shin portion 14 into achannel having U-shaped cross-section. As depicted in FIGS. 1-3, eachadjustable strap 16 is affixed to at one end to the side segments 22 andfurther comprise a fastening element 24 positioned at the opposite endof the strap 16. The opposing side element 22 can further comprise acorresponding fastening element 26 engagable by the fastening element24. The fastening element 24 and corresponding fastening element 26 cancomprise mating hook and loop elements, interlocking buckles or otherconventional releasably securable fasteners such as snaps, toggles orbuttons.

As depicted in FIG. 8, in operation, the center segment 20 of the shinportion 14 is generally aligned with the center of a wearer's shin andthe side segments 22 are folded around the sides of the wearer's shin.Each adjustable strap 16 is wrapped behind the wearer's calf such thatthe fastening element 24 of the adjustable strap 16 is secured to thecorresponding fastening element 26 on the opposite side segment 22. Incertain embodiments, the adjustable strap 16 can comprise an elastic orcompression band such that the adjustable strap 16 tightens around thewearer's calf to secure the shin portion 14 to the wearer's shin.Alternatively, in other embodiments, the adjustable strap 16 cancomprise a fixed length band with a buckle for adjusting the effectivelength of the adjustable strap 16.

As depicted in FIGS. 1-3 and 6-8, the flexible body 11 can furthercomprise a thigh portion 28 having a thigh strap 30. The thigh portion28 further comprises a center portion 32 and two wing portions 34. Thethigh strap 30 is affixed to one of the two wing portions 34 and furthercomprises a fastening element 36 at the opposite end of the thigh strap30. In this configuration, the opposing wing portion 34 furthercomprises a corresponding fastening element 38 for engagable to thefastening element 36. The fastening element 36 and correspondingfastening element 38 can comprise mating hook and loop elements,interlocking buckles or other conventional releasably securablefasteners such as snaps, toggles or buttons.

As depicted in FIG. 8, in operation, the center portion 32 of the thighportion 28 is generally aligned with the center of a wearer's thigh andthe wing portions 34 are folded around the sides of the wearer's thigh.The thigh strap 30 is wrapped behind the wearer's calf such that thefastening element 36 of the thigh strap 30 is secured to thecorresponding fastening element 38 on the opposite wing portion 34. Incertain embodiments, the thigh strap 30 can comprise an elastic orcompression band such that the thigh strap 30 tightens around thewearer's thigh to secure the shin portion 14 to the wearer's thigh.Alternatively, in other embodiments, the thigh strap 30 can comprise afixed length band with a buckle for adjusting the effective length ofthe thigh strap 30. The thigh strap 30 can cooperate with the adjustablestrap 16 of the shin portion 14 to provide a point of contact above andbelow the wearer's knee to allow the wearer to stand and sit withoutimpeding the wearer's movement or mobility while still securing the legprotector 10 to the wearer's leg.

As depicted in FIGS. 1-3 and 8, the articulation segments 18 of the kneeportion 12 allows the knee portion 12 to be folded around the wearer'sknee. In certain embodiments, as depicted in FIGS. 1-3, the shin portion14 and the thigh portion 28 are positioned on opposite sides of the kneeportion 12. In this configuration, the shin portion 14 and the thighportion 28 are arranged in a wish bone shape centered on the kneeportion 12 such that a wearer can articulate their knee while stillwearing the leg protector 10.

In certain embodiments, the leg protector 10 can further comprise anouter environmental layer or wind deflecting layer 40 and an innercomfort or insulating layer 42. The outer wind deflecting layer 40 cancomprise leather, synthetic leather, synthetic woven material, softshell material, ballistic nylon, cordura or other conventional materialcapable of preventing wind from penetrating through the wind deflectinglayer. Furthermore, the outer environmental layer can be constructed ofmaterials that have an environmental trait such, as for example,materials that are puncture, tear or bite resistant materials for use inlaw enforcement, military or field conditions. Outer wind deflectinglayer can also incorporate environmental traits such as, for example,reflective material or colors such as, for example, safety orange,safety green or safety yellow, to increase the visibility of the wearerin low-light or nighttime conditions. Alternatively, the outerenvironmental layer can incorporate environmental traits such as, forexample, material to limit visibility such as, for example, camouflagein hunting conditions or black or dark materials for nighttime or otherlow light law enforcement or military conditions. Similarly, the comfortor inner layer 42 can comprise can comprise fleece, polyester, suede,non-woven material, woven material, THINSULATE or other insulatingmaterial. The inner comfort layer can be selected to have comfort traitssuch as, for example, thermal performance and moisture control. Incertain embodiments, the deflecting layer 40 and the insulating layer 42can comprise flexible materials allowing the leg protector 10 to betightly rolled to allow the leg protector 10 to be more efficientlystored in a rolled configuration 41 as shown in FIG. 9. As illustratedin FIG. 10, the outer wind deflecting layer 40 can include one or morepockets 43 for the storage of items when leg protector 10 is being worn.Representative items can include, for example, money, credit cards,identification, notes, badges and the like. Alternatively, pocket 43 canallow for the insertion of additional padding or protective plates toprotect a wearer in rugged or tactical environments. Pocket 43 cancomprise a fastening member such as, for example, a zipper, a snap toassist in holding pocket 43 closed. In some embodiments, pocket 43 caninclude a transparent portion such that a wearer could position a lightor reflector in the pocket 43 to increase visibility of the wearer atnight or in low-light conditions or to display identification or lawenforcement badges or information. In some embodiments, inner insulatinglayer 42 can be removable from within the leg protector 10 such that theinner insulating layer 42 can be removed during times of elevatedtemperatures, i.e. the summer months, when insulation is not desired bya wearer. In addition, leg protector 10 can accommodate the previouslydescribed plastic cap over the knee portion 12, either within the legprotector 10 or mounted on top of the outer wind deflecting layer 40.

As depicted in FIGS. 1-2, in certain embodiments, the shin portion 14can further comprise a flared end portion 44 positioned opposite theknee portion 12. In operation, the flared end portion 44 can bepositioned in overlapping arrangement with the wearer's foot wear.

While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternativeforms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in thedrawings and described in detail. It is understood, however, that theintention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodimentsdescribed. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications,equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims.

1. A leg protector, comprising: a flexible body defining a shin portion,a knee portion and a thigh portion, wherein the shin portion and thethigh portion each include at least one adjusting strap having afastening element, wherein the flexible body is formable with theadjusting strap such that the shin portion and the thigh portion areformable into a u-shaped cross-section.
 2. The leg protector of claim 1,wherein the flexible body comprises an outer environmental layer and aninner comfort layer.
 3. The leg protector of claim 2, wherein the outerenvironmental layer has an environmental performance trait selected fromthe group consisting essentially of: wind resistance, water resistance,optical reflectance, optical viewing enhancement, optical viewingreduction, puncture resistance, tear resistance, bite resistance andcombinations thereof
 4. The leg protector of claim 3, wherein the innercomfort layer has a comfort trait selected from the group consistingessentially of: thermal performance and moisture control.
 5. The legprotector of claim 2, wherein the shin portion comprises a centersegment and a pair of side segments, wherein the side segments arefoldable relative to the center segment to define the u-shaped crosssection.
 6. The leg protector of claim 5, wherein the adjusting strap isattached to a first side segment, and wherein the fastening elementcomprises a first fastening element on the adjusting strap and a secondfastening element on a second side segment.
 7. The leg protector ofclaim 5, wherein the center segment includes a pocket in the outerenvironmental layer.
 8. The leg protector of claim 7, wherein the pocketcan include a transparent portion for displaying interior contents ofthe pocket.
 9. The leg protector of claim 1, wherein the knee portionincludes a plurality of articulation segments adapted to provideflexibility between the shin portion and the thigh portion.
 10. A methodfor enhancing comfort of a motorcycle rider, comprising: positioning aflexible leg protector adjacent a wearer's leg, wherein a shin portioncovers a wearer's shin, a knee portion covers a wearer's shin and athing portion covers a wearer's thigh; forming the flexible legprotector into a u-shaped cross-section around a wearer's leg; andfastening at least one adjusting strap on both the shin portion and thethigh portion to retain the flexible leg protector around the wearer'sleg.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein forming the flexible legprotector into a u-shaped cross-section, further comprises: providingthe shin portion with a center segment and a pair of side segments; andfolding the pair of side segments relative to the center segment. 12.The method of claim 10, further comprising: forming the flexible legprotector to having an outer environmental layer and an inner comfortlayer.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: selecting theouter environmental layer to have an environmental trait.
 14. The methodof claim 13, wherein the environmental trait is selected from the groupconsisting essentially of: wind resistance, water resistance, opticalreflectance, optical viewing enhancement, optical viewing reduction,puncture resistance, tear resistance, bite resistance and combinationsthereof.
 15. The method of claim 12, further comprising: selecting theinner comfort layer to have a comfort trait.
 16. The method of claim 15,wherein the comfort trait is selected from the group consistingessentially of: thermal performance and moisture control.
 17. The methodof claim 12, further comprising: providing a pocket in the outerenvironmental layer.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:including a transparent window for displaying interior contents of thepocket.
 19. The method of claim 10, further comprising: providing aplurality of articulation segments in the knee portion so as to allowflexing of the flexible leg protector between the shin portion and thethigh portion.
 20. The method of claim 10, further comprising: removingthe flexible leg protector from the wearer's leg by unfastening theadjusting straps on the shin and thigh portions; and rolling theflexible leg protector to form a rolled configuration for storage of theflexible leg protector.